All plants, including shade-loving woodland ground covers, need at least some sun to thrive. Plants that receive enough sun respond by growing vigorously and producing lush foliage, colorful flowers and healthy fruit. These robust plants add beauty to your home, especially when planted in the front yard for visitors to enjoy. Plants purchased from nurseries and stores usually come with instructions to help you determine how much sun they need. If your plant did not come with instructions, watching its performance is also an accurate way of learning specific sun requirements.

1

Look at the plant's care tag or instruction label to find light requirements. Most care tags list the amount of sun the plant needs, such as "full sun" or "part shade." In general, full sun plants need between six and 14 hours of sun per day. Part shade or part sun plants need four to six hours of sun, and full shade plants require less than four hours of sun each day.

2

Examine the other requirements on the plant's care tag. Plants labeled "drought tolerant" do well in full sun. Plants labeled "dappled shade" or "woodland" prefer receiving filtered sunlight through the canopy of tree leaves.

3

Consider how hot it gets in your Sunset Climate Zone. If the sun gets very bright and hot, many plants labeled "full sun" will need a bit of afternoon shade.

4

Watch your plant's performance. If it puts out few or no flowers, or growth seems slow, it probably needs more sun. If a plant's leaves look pale, withered, yellow or brown, it is most likely getting too much sun. Plants with too little or too much sun may also develop diseases or attract pests.

5

Find out how much sun your garden gets throughout the day to determine the best spot for your plants. Draw a picture of your garden on a sheet of paper. Go out to the garden every hour, and mark on the paper which areas have sun or shade. Alternatively, automatic sunlight calculators can handle this task for you.

Things You Will Need

Paper

Pen or pencil

Tips

The sun's position changes throughout the day and as the seasons change. If you grow your plants in containers, you can move them as needed to match the sun's changing position.

Plant taller plants next to shorter, shade-loving ones to shield them from intense sun.

About the Author

Melissa King began writing in 2001. She spent three years writing for her local newspaper, "The Colt," writing editorials, news stories, product reviews and entertainment pieces. She is also the owner and operator of Howbert Freelance Writing. King holds an Associate of Arts in communications from Tarrant County College.